During his extensive work on the Saudi peninsula, Toby Matthiesen has explored many different aspects of Post-War Saudi history, including the development of the Communist Party of Saudi Arabia. In this discussion with Kian and Pieter, Dr. Matthiesen explains the nuances of the CPSA’s belief systems, it’s role as a regional player in the Gulf, as well as Dr. Matthiesen’s own experiences conducting research on the region.

As conflict grows between the United States and Russia, Russia has strengthened its relations with China. In an event co-sponsored by the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center at Hokkaido University, David Wolff will provide an update on the key planks in the partnership between China and Russia. These include economic ties, military cooperation, leadership chemistry, relations in border areas and historical legacies. He considered the shared and divergent goals of these two great powers. Kissinger Institute Director Robert Daly joined the conversation as a discussant.

Speakers:

David Wolff - CWIHP Senior Scholar; Professor, Eurasian History, Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University

Robert Daly - Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Akihiro Iwashita - Director, Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University

Moderator:

Matthew Rojansky - Director, Kennan Institute

On April 28, the government of Ukraine announced the dismissal of Naftogaz CEO Andrii Kobolev and the appointment of Yurii Vitrenko as a replacement. These actions came as a surprise to many and have raised concerns about Ukraine’s progress toward reforms among its Western partners, including the United States. In this panel, experts discussed whether these actions may undermine Ukraine’s corporate governance reform efforts or if they may lead to improved efficiency in how the country’s state-owned companies are operated.

Speakers:

Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska - Co-founder and CEO, Ukrainian Sustainable Fund

Andrian Prokip - Senior Associate, Ukraine; Energy Expert, Ukrainian Institute for the Future

Victor Andrusiv - Executive Director, Ukrainian Institute for the Future

Pavlo Klimkin - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine; Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Germany

Introduction:

Matthew Rojansky - Director, Kennan Institute

Moderator:

William Pomeranz - Deputy Director, Kennan Institute

After 20 years, the United States will be withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. Our resident South Asia expert Michael Kugelman walks us through the hurdles and challenges we will have to watch out for in the foreseeable future. Plus, a quick look at the COVID-19 resurgence in India.

In How Ike Led, Susan Eisenhower explains how Dwight Eisenhower’s decision-making was informed by his heritage and upbringing, as well as his strong character and his personal discipline. But he also avoided making himself the center of things. His talent for envisioning the whole picture within in the context of a long-term strategy, and his ability to see causes and various consequences, explains his success as a military commander and political leader. In this book talk, Susan Eisenhower explained her personal insights about President Eisenhower and what can be learned from him today. The Wilson Center’s Global Fellow Walter Hudson joined the conversation as a discussant.

Speaker:

Susan Eisenhower - Author

Discussant:

Walter Hudson - Global Fellow; Associate Professor, Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University

Moderator:

Matthew Rojansky - Director, Kennan Institute

Full Event Title: Report Launch | Russia in the Middle East: National Security Challenges for the United States and Israel in the Biden Era

As U.S.-Russian tensions continue to escalate, Russia’s role in the Middle East is of urgent concern both to Israel and the United States. Potential flashpoints include Syria and Iran, new spheres of Russian engagement from Afghanistan to North Africa, and sensitive cybersecurity issues. Russia is also moving in tandem with China to push back against U.S. dominance, including in the Middle East. Leading experts from Israel and the United States address these challenges in a new report published by the Kennan Institute and the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. In a discussion moderated by Susan Glasser, the report’s contributors addressed the challenges Russia poses in the region and the decisions that policymakers in the U.S. and Israel face.

Introduction:

Ambassador Mark Green - President Director, and CEO, Wilson Center

Speakers:

Major General (Res.) Amos Gilead - Executive Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS), IDC Herzliya; Chairman of the IPS Annual Herzliya Conference Series

James F. Jeffrey - Chair of the Middle East Program; Former ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, and Special Envoy to the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS

Matthew Rojansky - Director, Kennan Institute

Udi Evental - Col. (res.), Senior Researcher,, Institute for Policy and Strategy, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya

Ksenia Svetlova - Senior Researcher, Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya; Journalist

Michael Kimmage - Professor of History, Catholic University of America

Moderator:

Susan Glasser - Staff Writer at The New Yorker; Founding editor of Politico Magazine

Emil Draitser spent a decade contributing to Crocodile, the major Party-sponsored satire magazine known for its sharp-tongued essays and pointed cartoons. After he got in trouble for criticizing an important Soviet official, he began weighing the heavy decision of whether to emigrate. In this book talk about his memoir In the Jaws of the Crocodile, Draitser explored what it means to be a satirist in a country lacking freedom of expression. He provided a window into the lives of a generation of artists who were allowed to poke fun, as long as they toed a narrow, state-approved line.

Speaker:

Emil Draitser - Author

Moderator:

William Pomeranz - Deputy Director, Kennan Institute

Host Benjamin Gedan is joined by Erika Mouynes, Panama’s foreign minister, to discuss challenges including climate change, migration from Colombia and navigating tensions between the United States and China, Panama’s most critical economic partners.

Kissinger Institute experts Rui Zhong and Bradley Jardine stop in to discuss Xinjiang and the challenge this particular human rights issue poses for policymakers.

Public Policy Fellow Dr. Melissa Griffith helps us go beyond the headlines and the jargon to understand the technology that produces deepfakes, how it is used for good and bad, and what policy options exist in the public and private sectors to address the challenges of this rapidly evolving technology.